After a 10-minute dismantling of popular slugger Chris Leben in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 138 card in Birmingham, England, Munoz said he’s ready to challenge UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva (31-4 MMA, 14-0 UFC) for the belt.

And while Silva has in the past been targeted by opponent’s who seem to bear ill will toward him, Munoz doesn’t share in that malice. In face Munoz credits a “Bruce Lee moment” with Silva for much of his current success.

“I trained with Anderson,” Munoz said at Saturday’s post-event presser. “He’s a good friend of mine. I came to the UFC because I want to be the best, and unfortunately, he has the belt.

“For me, I would love to be a world champ, and that’s what I train for. That’s why I’m in this organization. This is the best organization in the world, and I want to be a world champ in this organization. All respect goes to him, but at the same time, I want to get that top spot.”

Whether or not you think he’s truly ready for a title shot is certainly up for debate. But it’s hard to argue with Munoz’s 7-1 record over his past eight fights, especially when you consider his lone loss during that time came in split-decision fashion to perennial contender Yushin Okami.

A collegiate All-American wrestler, Munoz’s grappling was the key to his second-round TKO of Leben. But his improved striking has also been on display in recent bouts. Munoz said his game is developing quickly, thanks to his team at Reign Training Center. But the 33-year-old also credits time earlier in his career that he spent training with Silva for helping him develop a strong mental approach.

It was, Munoz said, his “Bruce Lee” moment.

“I was a guy who was coming up the ranks, and I was just teaching [Silva] wrestling as much as I could,” Munoz said. “I was teaching him and pouring all my knowledge in the sport (of wrestling). I’ve been in the sport for 20 years. I was pouring into him, pouring into him. I had a Bruce Lee moment with him.

“The first time I trained with him, he held pads for me in Muay Thai. Then he took off the pads. He told me to take off the gloves, and in his broken English, he said, ‘Kneel down.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ He kneeled down in the middle of the cage. He told me to kneel down, and I’m like, ‘What are we doing right now?’ He was like, ‘Mark, when you fight, no fight. No fight. Fight angry. No good. You play. OK? Play.’

“But I got what he was talking about because when you go into the fight with negative emotions, you’re going to fight with that emotion instead of fighting your gameplan – instead of fighting intellectually. I kind of got what he was talking about, and when I trained with him, I trained with him a lot. I kind of got his mentality.”

The record-breaking Silva, of course, is currently riding a 14-fight win streak. Most MMA pundits expect Silva to rematch Chael Sonnen in the near future, but UFC president Dana White has suggested the champ isn’t necessarily interested in granting his disrespectful nemesis a second crack at the title.

White, who said he didn’t hear Munoz’s in-cage plea for a championship opportunity, didn’t offer any specific comment on Silva’s next title fight but did offer a few potential matchups – leading one to believe perhaps Silva-Sonnen II isn’t a sure thing.

“I think [Munoz] has won some fights,” White said. “He’s won some tough fights, and we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.

So the UFC middleweight division may take a few weeks to sort itself out, and Munoz might prove a simple observer while he waits for the results of a few key fights. But make no mistake, Munoz believes he’s ready for his crack at UFC gold.

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